>> CATHY: IT'S AN OFF-YEAR ELECTION IN MINNESOTA.

NO STATEWIDE OR FEDERAL RACES ON THE BALLOT.

SO OFTEN VOTERS STAY HOME AND SKIP THE LOCAL RACES.

BUT WITH A HOTLY CONTESTED MAYORAL RACE IN DULUTH, THAT TURNOUT COULD BE HIGHER THAN AVERAGE.

CURRENT MAYOR EMILY LARSON IS RUNNING FOR A THIRD TERM TO REPRESENT DULUTH.

CHALLENGER ROGER REINERT, A FORMER STATE SENATOR FROM THE -- FROM DULUTH.

MPR NEWS REPORTER DAN KRAKER HAS BEEN COVERING THE RACE, AND HE JOINS US FROM THE NORTHLAND.

HEY, HOW ARE YOU?

>> I'M OING WELL, CATHY, ERIC, GOOD TO JOIN YOU GUYS, SORRY I COULDN'T BE DOWN THERE WITH YOU TONIGHT.

>> Cathy: I KNOW.

IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.

I WAS JUST IN DULUTH, I NOTED LOTS AND LOTS OF LAWN SIGNS, NOT ONLY LAKESIDE BUT WEST END, I MEAN, IT'S BOTH, FOR BOTH CANDIDATES.

IF YOU CAN JUDGE BY LAWN SIGNS, WHO DO YOU THINK'S LEADING?

>> THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION.

EARLIER IN THE ELECTION, I WOULD SAY, AND I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE, DEFINITELY ROGER REINERT.

HE HAD A BIG ADVANTAGE IN LAWN SIGNS.

I THINK HE SAID 2,500, AROUND THE PRIMARY.

BUT SINCE THE PRIMARY, YOU'VE DEFINITELY NOTICED AN UPSWING IN YARD LINES FOR LARSON.

SO -- YARD SIGNS FOR LARSON.

I WOULD SAY IT'S MORE EVEN.

MAYBE STILL TRENDING TOWARD REINERT, ESPECIALLY ON THE WEST SIDE.

AS HE HAS EVEN TOLD ME, YOU KNOW, YARD SIGNS DON'T VOTE.

SO WE'LL SEE.

>> Eric: HOW DO THEY DIFFER ON THE MAJOR ISSUES?

>> WELL, THEY ARE FOCUSING ON A LOT OF THE SAME ISSUES, ERIC.

IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING THAT WAY, ACTUALLY.

SO REINERT IS REALLY FOCUSING ON WHAT HE SEES AS CORE CITY SERVICES.

SO HE'S TALKING ABOUT STREET REPAIR, HE'S TALKING ABOUT PARKS FUNDING, PUBLIC SAFETY, INCREASING COMMERCIAL -- THE COMMERCIAL TAX BASE AND HOUSING AND REDUCING PROPERTY TAXES.

THOSE ARE THE REAL KEY AREAS HE'S FOCUSING ON.

LARSON ALSO TALKS A LOT ABOUT THOSE ISSUES, AND SHE TALKS -- SHE POINTS TO ACHIEVEMENTS SHE'S MADE IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS, ADDRESSING SOME OF THOSE ISSUES, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, THE CREATION OF A FUND AND A PROGRAM O REPAIR MORE STREETS THAT HAD HISTORICALLY BEEN REPAIRED IN THE CITY ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.

AND SHE POINTS TO 1,700 NEW HOUSING UNITS ACROSS THE CITY IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS AS WELL.

SO THEY'RE TALKING A LOT ABOUT A LOT OF THE SAME ISSUES, BUT COMING AT THEM FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

>> Cathy: COULD YOU MAYBE DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THEIR STYLE?

ARE THEY -- ANY DAYLIGHT BETWEEN HOW THEIR CAMPAIGNING IS, THEIR CAMPAIGNING STYLES?

>> THAT HAS BEEN INTERESTING TO WATCH.

SO, REINERT HAS REALLY MADE AN EMPHASIS OF REALLY FOCUSING ON HIMSELF AND THE ISSUES.

HE'S GONE SO FAR AS TO NOT EVEN USE THE WORD "OPPONENT" WHEN REFERRING TO MAYOR LARSON.

HE SAYS THAT'S TOO DIVISIVE.

SO, HE'S REALLY FOCUSED ON KIND OF A POSITIVE MESSAGE, REALLY FOCUSED ON HIMSELF AND THE ISSUES AND WHAT HE SEES AS CHALLENGES THAT DULUTH IS FACING.

LARSON, ON THE OTHER HAND, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE PRIMARY, HAS BECOME MORE AGGRESSIVE.

SHE'S REALLY TRIED TO DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES BASED ON THEIR RECORD.

SHE SAYS, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A RECORD THE PAST EIGHT YEARS AS MAYOR.

I EXPECT TO BE CHALLENGED ON THAT AND BE HELD TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT.

AND SHE'S ALSO IN MANY OF THE TV DEBATE THAT IS HAVE BEEN HELD HERE, SHE HAS REALLY GONE AFTER REINERT FOR HIS RECORD AS WELL, AS A CITY COUNSELOR AND AS -- COUNCILOR AND A STATE LEGISLATURE.

THAT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE STYLES.

REINERT DECRIES WHAT HE CALLS THE D.C.-STYLE POLITICS IN THE RACE.

THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT F MAILERS SENT OUT BY THE MINNESOTA DFL PARTY WHICH HAS ENDORSED LARSON IN THE RACE, CALLING REINERT RISKY ROGER.

SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THAT.

HE'S SORT OF EMBRACED IT, SAID, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE RISKY NOT TO VOTE FOR ME.

BUT, YEAH, LOTS OF ATTENTION, NOT JUST ON THE ISSUES, ON THE CANDIDATES, BUT ALSO ON HOW THE CAMPAIGN HAS TAKEN PLACE.

>> Eric: THEN HOW ABOUT A LOOK AT THIS AS A PRECURSOR TO 2024 CYCLE, WHERE THE DEMOCRATS SEEM TO BE HEADING TOWARD A PROGRESSIVE VERSUS MODERATE DEMOCRATIC SPLIT.

AND I WONDER IF YOU'RE SEEING THAT, ROGER REINERT, OF COURSE, HEADED THE PURPLE CAUCUS, WHICH WAS A BIPARTISAN CAUCUS WHEN HE WAS IN THE STATE SENATE.

>> YEAH, INTERESTING QUESTION.

THE MAYOR'S RACE, OF COURSE, IS A NONPARTISAN OFFICE.

AND THEY ARE BOTH DEMOCRATS.

BUT, AS YOU SAID, REINERT IS A MORE MODERATE DEMOCRAT, AND HE'S PROUD OF THAT PURPLE CAUCUS THAT HE SERVED ON.

HE DOES HAVE, YOU KNOW, IN RECENT CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS THAT WE'VE SEEN, THERE ARE HISTORICALLY REPUBLICAN DONORS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO A P.A.C.

THAT'S SUPPORTED REINERT'S CAMPAIGN.

SO, I MEAN, THERE'S DEFINITELY A DINNERS.

YOU SEE THAT IN THE -- DIFFERENCE.

YOU SEE THAT IN THE AT LARGE CITY COUNCIL RACE HERE AS WELL.

THERE'S TWO MORE PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATES AND TWO MORE MODERATE CANDIDATES.

IT COULD DEFINITELY BE A PRECURSOR TO THE '24 ON THAT ONE.

>> Cathy: YOU DID AN INTERESTING STORY ON MPR, YOU HAD BOTH CANDIDATES CHOOSE A SPECIFIC LOCATION IN DULUTH, SEVERAL LOCATIONS THAT KIND OF UNDERSCORED THEIR CAMPAIGNS.

DID YOU -- WERE YOU SURPRISED BY ANYTHING YOU LEARNED DURING THAT STORY?

>> NO, I MEAN, REALLY KIND OF REINFORCED, I THINK, WHAT THEY'VE BEEN FOCUSING N IN THEIR CAMPAIGNS.

MAYOR LARSON CHOSE A SPOT IN DOWNTOWN DULUTH, WHERE THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF ACTIVITY, RIGHT ACROSS THE LIBRARY WHERE SHE HAS A NEW VISION OR A LIBRARY, SO THAT SITE REALLY DEMONSTRATED, A, WHAT SHE HAS ACCOMPLISHED, WHAT SHE HOPES TO ACHIEVE WITH ANOTHER FOUR YEARS.

ROGER REINERT TOOK ME TO SPOT UP ON THE HILL TO A SPOT WHERE THE ROAD WAS ROUGH, AS, YOU KNOW, DULUTHIANS WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT THE CONDITIONS OF OUR STREETS, LIKE MANY FOLKS WILL IN DIFFERENT CITIES AROUND THE STATE.

HE TOOK ME TO A PLACE WHERE HOUSING WAS, YOU KNOW, HOUSING PRICES HAVE REALLY INCREASED.

BECAUSE HE'S FOCUSED A LOT ON THE LACK OF SORT OF THAT MIDDLE MARKET OF HOUSING, INCREASED PROPERTY TAXES AND STREET REPAIR.

SO THE SITE HE TOOK ME REALLY EMPHASIZED THOSE THREE WHICH ARE KIND OF KEY CORNERSTONES OF HIS CAMPAIGN.

>> Cathy: YOU'RE GOING TO BE BUSY ELECTION NIGHT.